Beautiful
by flashpenguin
Summary: David Rossi's been seeing another woman. How will Emily react when she finds out? Inspired by Jim Brickman's song "Beautiful"-as sung by Wayne Brady. COMPLETE!


_I know I am working on another story, but this one begged to come out. I hope you enjoy. This story was inspired by "Beautiful" by Jim Brickman and Wayne Brady. Please check out the song. I hope it touches you as deeply as it did to inspire me to write this story._

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**Beautiful**

Dave Rossi had a secret: he was in love with another woman. He never meant for it to happen. He loved Emily with all of his heart, and when he had taken his vows of "for better or worse; forsaking all others" he meant it. The moonlight streaming through the window that landed on the gold band encircling his left ring finger was more than a gentle reminder.

He sighed.

_From the moment he laid eyes on Emily Prentiss, his heart had been taken. And though he had tried to bury his feelings for her, he had slowly but surely tried to find ways to get close to her. Whether it was sitting next to her on the jet, or waiting until the last moment to join the team at the table so he could have the seat next to her, he did all he could to make it known that he was interested._

_But it wasn't easy. Everyone at the FBI knew about Dave Rossi and his philandering ways. It was no secret that he had done his share of sleeping around. Share? He was the reason the FBI set the "No Fraternization" regulation in place. However, that was another place and another time, and he had come a long way since those days. Three failed marriages had taught him well._

_Though to say that he had been gun shy when his feelings for Emily had started changing, would have been an understatement. But no one was more surprised than he when he asked Emily to marry him. Well, except maybe Emily…and the whole FBI headquarters. But he never made a promise he didn't intend to keep, and on their wedding day, he was more than ready to make an everlasting promise in front of God and everyone. He would never forget how Emily, usually so strong and steady in personality, started crying before the ring was even slipped on her finger._

_And then he kissed her._

_And everything was good and right and perfect for the first time in life. He didn't think it was possible to be that happy, but he was._

_Until the day he met Claire. _

_Beautiful Claire with her dark brown eyes, black curls, and drop dead gorgeous smile- she had had him at hello. Hell, he'd been hers before a single word had been spoken. But he was already taken. He belonged to Emily and loved her with all his heart and soul. He wasn't sure if he could share his heart with another woman. He had tried and failed so many times in the past and none of them had ever worked out._

_But Claire wasn't just another woman, and when he held her in his arms, he realized that what he felt for her was deeper and stronger than anything he had ever felt for another woman - except for Emily. As a consequence, Claire had opened up new windows in his life. The sky seemed bluer, the sun brighter, and instead of cursing the rain, Dave now searched for the rainbow after._

_Even Emily had noticed the change in him. Claire put a song in his heart, and a spring in his step - at his age that was something impressive! Morgan had commented, the other day, that he was a brand new person. And JJ remarked that he looked all lit up inside, but what could he say? He felt all lit up inside. He was head over heels, madly in love with an incredible woman._

_He loved holding Claire and kissing her. He could talk to her about anything, and she would just look at him with a quiet understanding, never saying a word. God, he loved her eyes! Dark brown orbs with tiny specks of green that sparkled every time he walked into her room. He could drown in those eyes and never call out for a life preserver._

_But more than anything else, he loved holding her hand. He remembered feeling the breath being sucked out of his lungs the first he took her hand in his. There was no way he could ever let her go. No way he would ever let her go._

_He had tried to hide the change. After all, he was David Rossi, expert profiler and best selling author, he had a reputation to uphold; he never wore his heart on his sleeve before and wasn't about to start now. Until that day he had opened his wallet and Claire's picture fell out. Erin Strauss was always at the wrong place at the wrong time, and this moment was no exception. Bending over, she retrieved the 4X6, but instead of handing it back, she took her time looking at it. Back and forth her eyes went from Dave to the picture._

_He wasn't sure if Strauss was trying to profile him by her intense scrutiny, but she was doing a damn good job. For the first time in his life, he knew what it was like to be interrogated. Eventually, she handed the picture back. He had expected her to say something cutting, but instead she smiled-really actually smiled at him - and commented that Claire seemed to be good for him. All he remembered was shoving the picture back in his wallet and getting out of the room as fast as he could._

_He suspected that Emily knew. After all, she was an expert profiler and absolutely nothing got past her. After quitting the BAU, she had taken a job at the FBI Academy to teach **Criminology/Profiling 101**, while he stayed on with the team. He had always been keen on getting the bad guys, but now his determination to rid the world of bad guys had increased a thousand fold when Claire, his beautiful and sweet angel, arrived on the scene._

_Tonight, he had waited until Emily fell asleep to sneak out and see Claire. Actually, he had been doing that a lot lately, but what could he say? He was a man in love with two incredibly beautiful and intelligent women. There was no way he was going to give either one up. And there was no way anyone would ever take either one away from him - at least not without a fight. He would lay his life down for them in a minute!_

_Never before had that thought crossed his mind for any other woman he had ever known. And that was enough to make his heart overflow with more love than he ever thought possible. How was it possible that a man like him could be so lucky and blessed in one lifetime? It almost seemed unfair._

All of these thoughts were going thru Dave's head as he sat in a chair beside the window and watched the moon.

A soft noise caught his attention and made him look up. Emily! He swallowed heavily as he watched her leaning in the door way. Oh damn! Not only had she found him, but she had caught him holding Claire. There was no way he could talk his way out of this one, so he did the next best thing and greeted her with, "Hi, honey. I thought you were asleep."

Laughing softly, Emily made her way across the room. Dave watched her eyes dance in the moonlight. "Dave Rossi, you didn't think that I knew that you've been sneaking out to come in here?"

Dave had guilt written all over his face. "How did you know?"

"Ha! I'm a great profiler, or have you forgotten that I learned from the best?" Without waiting for an answer, Emily bent down and looked at Claire. "Well hello Claire. Did your daddy wake you up again?"

"I did not wake her up!" he replied defensively. "She was already up. I was trying to help her fall back asleep, wasn't I, pumpkin?" He stroked her soft cheek as Claire responded with a happy chortle.

"I wondered why she was getting her days and nights confused, now I know." Emily took Claire from Dave. "Might if I sit?"

No, he didn't mind. In fact, he loved Emily sitting on his lap, her head resting on his shoulder, especially when she was holding the baby. As she settled in, Dave's arms went around the both of them. He could never get enough of holding heaven in his arms. Especially when he spent his days looking at hell.

Blissful silence fell over the room as Dave gently rocked Emily and Claire. Just as he felt himself start to nod off, Emily stood up and walked over the hanging bassinet. Tenderly, she lay Claire down and turned on the musical mobile. "Brahms Lullaby" softly filled the room. He watched as she took a moment to watch their daughter sleep.

Hoping she wouldn't see the tears in his eyes, Dave turned his head away to look out the window.

"Dave?" Emily whispered and held out her hand.

Wiping his eyes quickly, he took her hand. "I suppose you want me to come to bed and sleep."

Emily's eyes snapped with mischief. "Come to bed? Yes. Sleep? I was hoping you wouldn't cop out that easy since you got me up."

Dave stood up. "Are you challenging me, Emily Rossi?"

"Shhh, don't wake the baby," Em whispered.

"With what I have in mind for you, I wouldn't dream of it," he guaranteed. Emily smiled. God, he loved her smile.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Indeed, he thought. He was through waiting, now that he had everything he had ever wanted.

With his hand firmly encased in Emily's, Dave followed her out of the room.

**_The End_**


End file.
